MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—Brendan Wood '19 has been awarded a post-graduate legal fellowship
from Equal Justice Works that will allow him to offer legal assistance to West
Virginians recovering from addiction as they work towards greater socioeconomic
stability.
Starting in September, he will create a referral network for education, counseling,
group therapy and self-help materials that address the underlying issues associated
with substance use disorder. Wood will also use the Americans with Disabilities
Act and other laws to advocate for his clients to give them improved access to
employment, housing and educational opportunities.
“The nature of substance use disorder deprives many victims of access to resources
and employment necessary for recovery, including legal counsel to protect their
rights under the ADA and other legislation,” he said.
Wood will be working closely with Legal Aid of West Virginia in Charleston. They
plan to make the fellowship project a blueprint to help communities across the
United States address substance use disorder.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— WVU Law's
West Virginia Innocence Project
recently helped overturn the conviction of a man who spent more than seven years
in prison for a crime he did not commit.
On May 1, Judge Alfred E. Ferguson of Cabell County, West Virginia, vacated the manslaughter
conviction of Nathaniel Barnett in light of newly-tested DNA evidence. Barnett
was convicted in connection with the 2002 murder of Deanna Crawford.
Ferguson gave the Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office 90 days to decide if
they want a new trial for Barnett or if the charges should be dismissed.
Nathaniel Barnett, his brother Phillip, Justin Black and Brian Dement were all convicted
in 2008 of charges related to Crawford’s murder despite the lack of physical evidence
connecting them to the crime scene.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— The
Center for Consumer Law and Education, a joint program between WVU Law and
Marshall University, has joined a federal program that empowers consumers.
The CCLE is now a member of “Your Money, Your Goals,” a grassroots initiative of
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CCLE is one of 40 organizations nationally
admitted into the program this year.
As a member of “Your Money, Your Goals,” CCLE staff will receive training and tools
that will help consumers achieve financial wellbeing and learn important financial
skills such as developing budgets, reviewing credit reports, and managing debt.
Since 2013, the “Your Money, Your Goals” program has trained more than 26,000 frontline
staff and volunteers in service organizations across the country. Members of the
group include federal, state, and local government agencies, faith-based and social
service organizations, and financial service providers.
Washington, D.C.—Kimberly A. Reed, a 1996 WVU Law graduate, is the new president and chairman of the board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the
United States (EXIM).
The swearing-in ceremony took place at EXIM headquarters in Washington, D.C. Reed
was sworn in by Joyce Stone, EXIM assistant corporate secretary and Ambassador
Jeffrey D. Gerrish, EXIM’s former president and chairman (acting).
Reed was confirmed to EXIM’s top post by the U.S. Senate on May 8, 2019, by a bipartisan
vote of vote of 79 to 17.
“I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for this opportunity to execute his
agenda by growing jobs and helping U.S. businesses prosper. I am committed to ensuring
that American workers can compete on a fair playing field in international trade.
It is a tremendous honor to be appointed by President Trump and confirmed by the
U.S. Senate to lead this distinguished mission,” said Reed.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—Chambers USA has shortlisted Marilyn McClure-Demers, a 1991 WVU
Law graduate, for its 2019 Gender Diversity Lawyer of the Year award.
The Gender Diversity Lawyer of the Year award recognizes a general counsel who has
shown dedication and commitment to gender diversity programs and/or taken an active
role in organizing events and/or discussions to further the advancement of women
in the law.
Just 11 lawyers nationally are shortlisted for the 2019 award. The winner will be
announced on June 6 at a ceremony in San Francisco.
"To be shortlisted by Chambers means you are a true diversity and inclusion pioneer
for the legal profession," said
GregoryBowman, dean of the College of Law. “We are proud of Marilyn and inspired
by her work.”
Professor
Kendra Fershee has accepted a tenured faculty position at Creighton
School of Law.
Joshua Fershee has served as professor of law and director of LLM programs in energy
and sustainable development law at WVU Law since 2012. He was also the associate
dean for faculty research and development from 2015-2018.
Kendra Fershee joined the WVU Law faculty in 2012 and served as the associate
dean for academic affairs from 2015-18. She is editor-in-chief of the ABA's
Family Law Quarterly.
MORGANTOWN, W. Va.—
WVU Law awarded degrees to 101 members of the Class of 2019 at commencement
on May 10 in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre at the WVU
Creative Arts Center.
“As you go forth to live your lives greatly within the law, it is vital that you
do so with idealism,”
Gregory Bowman
, dean of the College of Law, told the graduates.
Vincent Cardi, who was selected Professor of the Year by the Class
of 2019, delivered the commencement address. He explored five general characteristics
of a good lawyer: show up for work; return phone calls; be honest with your clients;
do the work; and get involved in the community.
Cardi also added four more traits of good lawyers: courage, teamwork, organizational
skills, and independence.
MORGANTOWN,
W.Va.—WVU Law is about to become the first building at WVU to
help offset its reliance on the electrical grid with a solar panel array.
The 48-panel system will be
installed this summer on the College's roof. It will put an estimated
18,000-kilowatt-hours per year back into the law school’s electrical
system. A single U.S. home uses, on average, about
11,000 kWh per year.
“On
the heels of our recent extensive renovation, the College’s Sustainability
Committee identified solar as a real and untapped opportunity for not just the
law school, but for WVU as a whole,” said Jason
Walls, a land conservation attorney with WVU’s Land Use and
Sustainable Development Law Clinic.
Siemens Industry, Inc. has made a $43,800 donation to support
the project, which will cost $48,000. Additional funds are being provided by WVU Sustainability.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—WVU Law has been named a Top Law School by preLaw Magazine
for two programs.
The magazine awarded the college a grade of “A” for trial advocacy and litigation
and a grade of “A-” for intellectual property law. PreLaw graded the programs
based on curriculum and student experience.
According to preLaw, only four law schools rate higher than WVU for trial advocacy
and litigation and just 39 law schools score higher than WVU for intellectual property
law. There are 203 law schools in the country approved by the American Bar Association.
“The high rating of our trial advocacy and intellectual property law programs reflects
our commitment to preparing students for a broad range of careers in a complex
legal market,” said
Gregory Bowman
, dean of the College of Law.